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Pandemonium (PL)

Review @ GandhiEgo

05 September 2011

Damn powerful and full of great promises for the forthcoming full-length!

Pandemonium, the Polish masters of Satanic Dark Metal, are yet again ready to launch a full-scale attack due later on this year. In the meantime, the Poles have unleashed a great two-tracks promo, soberly entitled Promo 2010, which features some new material from the band and live footage on video.

Granted, Pandemonium are not the best known Polish act when it comes to Death Metal but connoisseurs of the scene will surely be delighted to read these few lines. Obviously, since it's a Promo CD, you won't find it at your local dealer but the full-length is scheduled to be available through Pagan Records.

The band which has crafted some serious Blackened Death Metal ever since displays two tracks of varying intensity. With Black Forest, no one will be surprised to find one of Polish’s best trademarks in the Extreme scene: this great mixture of Death Metal with Black Metal hints played with the brutality we all came to love from bands like Azarath or Stillborn (new album out! By the way!). The real gem though is to be found on the second track named God Delusion which features material that mixes in also great touches of Immolation or the Greek soon-to-be legends Dead Congregation. It boasts a fantastic occult atmosphere and could well have been released on its own on a 7” EP.

Still, it’s two tracks and only two tracks. But it’s so damn powerful and full of great promises for the forthcoming full-length that we can only stare at them in awe and count down the days till finally Pagan Records will release it. I certainly hope that the songs there will be just as good as those on the Promo 2010.

If this is the case, then Pandemonium will get a well-deserved recognition that may open them the doors to greatness along with Vader, Behemoth and other Polish famous acts.

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Review @ heavymetaltribune

Bands from Poland have never failed to fascinate me, whether they are black metal bands in the form of Infernal War or death metal bands like Behemoth and Vader. Pandemonium, while formed in 1990 (earlier than bands like Behemoth) have failed to gather as much attention their fellow countrymen despite having numerous outputs thus far. Promo 2010 is their 2010 demo, seeing the band unleash 2 new tracks.

Promo 2010 opens with A Black Forest, an introduction that reminds listeners of songs like Behemoth's Ov Fire and the Void, yet right after the introduction all similarities end as Pandemonium seems to focus infuse more elements of black metal than the aforementioned Behemoth, with the trebly riffs. Vocalist Paul's style is a pseudo-howl, sounding almost like a gruffer and lower-pitched version of Hail of Bullets' Martin Van Drunen. He also alternates between such howls, screams and shrieks, and the raw emotions and energy instantly infects and affects the listener as well. A God Delusion seems to take a turn for a slower pace instead, with the band focussing more on building up a dense atmosphere rather than going for speed.

The drumming style of Szymon sounds like a more chaotic/sloppy version of drummers like Stormblast or Inferno, yet this could have very well been the intended effect of the band, enabling them to retain the raw edge in the music. The production quality, while not extremely polished, is not too raw as well, making Promo 2010 an enjoyable listen for fans of Polish styled blackened death metal.